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Lyna’s heart should have been heavy with doubt as she contemplated ending her relationship with Smith. Her life had been marked by failure and disappointment, and even death had paid her a visit once. She knew that failure was her constant companion.
Ainar, who had lived a vastly different life from Lyna, could empathize with her struggles more than anyone else. He could sense the self-help in her calm words, and he wanted to give her what she truly desired. Even the impossible task of picking stars from the sky seemed like a worthy endeavor to him.
Ainar was the only one who truly understood Lyna’s pain and frustration. It didn’t matter to him whether they were comrades or simply felt a cross-border sympathy. For the first time in his life, he felt a deep desire to act on something that truly mattered to him.
When he revealed his intentions to Smith through his actions, the man’s eyes became distorted in anger.
“What?”
As much as Ainar regarded Smith as a nonentity, Smith also paid little heed to Ainar’s warning.
This was because Ainar had no interest in the throne and therefore had no “power” that Smith could fear or be wary of.
But Smith had forgotten something.
“I don’t know what you said to Lyna, but anyway… Kuaack.”
The fact that Ainar could silence Smith’s mouth not with “power,” but with “force.”
“I told you not to do it,” he warned, not once but twice.
In an instant, Ainar approached Smith’s face and grabbed his collar.
Smith, who was smiling, suddenly froze upon meeting Ainar’s deep ashen eyes that seemed to have no end.
And in that moment, the corners of the first Prince Ilan’s mouth lifted in amusement.
‘It seems that Ainar is indeed strong.’
To become an emperor, one requires many virtues, but being the “best” in any field was not essential. All that was necessary was the ability to manipulate those who were the “best” in their respective fields.
The first Prince Ilan watched the scene with the carefree attitude of one enjoying a refreshing bowl of soup. He patted Ainar’s shoulder condescendingly and spoke with mock sympathy, “Come on, let me make it clear to you. Bolsheik Young lady has broken off the engagement, and Smith is heartbroken.”
The gesture was intended to put Ainar in his place and to flout Smith.
Ainar, however, released his grip on Smith’s throat and swiftly swatted away the first prince’s hand as if shooing away a fly.
“I don’t know why you’re trying to make it clear to me,” he said, still smiling, but his jet-black eyes were colder than the wind of a sharpened blade, causing the first prince to tightly press his lips together.
Ainar, who silenced the third prince with a fierce gaze as he clutched his neck, and the first prince, whose hands trembled in frustration, both stopped their actions as he stood up, making sure to tread on how the report from his aide said about them.
The report only had a cursory understanding of Smith, which irritated him greatly. He had already heard and seen how Smith behaved and spoke, so there was no need for him to stay here any longer. However, it seemed that Smith had no intention of giving up on Lyna.
Well, he’s blind to the throne, so he can’t just let go of Bolsheik.
‘Then, we need to make him let go.’
For the first time in a long time, he felt the desire to do something, or rather, he felt the urge to do something.
Whatever he started, he succeeded with his terribly “good luck”.
But there was a variable now: Lyna, Lyna Bolsheik. She had bad luck that was as awful as his good luck.
As Ainar strode forward, he casually flicked his hand without bothering to look back. “Oh, and I shall be participating in the hunting contest this year,” he announced.
The first prince, who had been scrunching up his nose in displeasure, erupted in a fit of rage. “What? You, in the hunting contest? What on earth! If you join, what will become of the preparations made by others…Hey! Ainar!”
Even the fourth prince, who had been biting his tongue, raised his head and widened his eyes in surprise. “Brother, in the hunting contest?”
And even the youngest prince mumbled from beneath his blanket. “At…the contest.”
Smith, meanwhile, shot a venomous glare in the direction Ainar had gone, then spun on his heel and stalked off in the opposite direction.
Even for those who had a sleepless night and those who slept deeply after stretching their legs, morning arrives fairly.
“Hi. Good morning, Emma.”
“Hi.”
Emma, who woke up in a new room, lowered her head slightly to hide her bloodshot eyes from not being able to sleep.
The room was wider and cleaner than before, and it was a room for two people instead of four, so she should have slept much better.
“Since there’s nothing special to do today, let’s just follow me for now and do what the lady commands….”
Emma listened to her colleague’s rambling and stared blankly at the ends of her hair swaying in her shrinking field of vision.
Her mind was in a state of disarray.
She had made up her mind to run away just by becoming the lady’s closest attendant, but all of a sudden…
-Oh, come on. Don’t pretend. I’m talking about Baroness Becky Graham,….
The man with her real name on his lips.
And the necklace that was shaking in his hands.
Unknowingly, Emma clasped her chest.
She felt like her racing heart would calm down a little if she could just grip the pocket where she had placed the item.
“…, Emma?”
-Thunk.
Emma, who was lost in thought, lifted her head at the touch on her arm.
Her colleague tilted her head towards Emma with vacant eyes.
“Are you okay? You might be nervous since it’s your first day, but don’t worry too much. The lady can be picky, but she’s not the type to get angry for no reason.”
“Yeah… I got it.”
It wasn’t because of her colleague’s words that she was nervous, but Emma vigorously slapped her limp cheek.
She had to come to her senses.
In situations as dangerous as this, she had to stay alert.
Hadn’t she learned this lesson from her miserable past?
When the work began in earnest, Emma, along with other servants, waited with her head down behind Lyna.
However, unlike her colleagues, she was constantly looking for a way out, scanning her surroundings for a hole to escape.
If Emma didn’t abandon her name and life and seek another one…
Emma rolled her eyes nervously and then shut them tightly.
It would have been impossible for Emma to have lived her life in the first place if it weren’t for a huge coincidence and luck.
But just searching here and there like this, there was no way a life that she could live in someone’s place would appear.
Despite the storm raging in her head, the outside was as calm as a lake.
“A cup of tea.”
“Yes.”
“The tea leaves I enjoy aren’t these, are they?”
“Because bugs appeared in those tea leaves.”
It was unbelievable that bugs appeared in the tea leaves enjoyed by Lyna, the sole bloodline and successor of the Bolsheik family, except for the duke.
If it had been another family, it would have caused a huge uproar. Although it may seem trivial to think why one is fussy about tea leaves, the higher the position of the person, the more particular and careful they handle what goes into their mouths.
Despite this, the servants of the duke’s household dealt with such things as if they were accustomed to them.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
If Lyna were to ride in a carriage, the wheel would fall off, and bugs would often appear in the tea leaves she liked, but such trivial matters were their daily routine.
However, no one said that Lyna was unlucky.
They didn’t even think about saying such a thing.
As there was a saying that words turn into seeds, they didn’t want to risk saying something unnecessary.
“Emma, clean the jam spoon over there.”
“Huh? Yeah.”
Upon hearing her colleague’s casual words, Emma immediately grabbed a jam spoon and a smooth cloth.
She appeared perfectly fine on the surface because she made an effort to stay alert.
Although Emma’s head was spinning with questions, such as how and where did he find her, and why now, she couldn’t find any immediate answers.
While Emma was putting the shiny spoon back in its place, Lyna was handling a tedious task.
“The invitation that arrived today, miss…”
“Throw it away.”
Without further explanation, Lyna tore the invitation and the aide collected them all.
“Dispose of them.”
“Yes.”
As she was close to the assistant while trying to put down the spoon, Emma received the discarded invitation that was going to be thrown away.
She knew she was definitely going to run away, and she was struggling to figure out how to handle the man’s demands, but she couldn’t show it on the surface.
Emma’s fast-paced steps began to slow down gradually.
The path she had to take was the same path where she encountered the man like a thunderbolt yesterday.
Emotionally, she didn’t want to go that way, but it was the fastest way to the incinerator.
There were other ways, but they would take much longer compared to the path ahead of her.
As Emma had to make sure she was invisible to anyone until she ran away, she had no choice but to take this path. She walked as fast as possible.
Before she arrived at the incinerator, just like yesterday, a huge figure suddenly appeared in front of her. “Hey. Where are you rushing off to like that?”